Midnight Circus
by The Angel of a Devil
Summary: Selected students of Fairy Academy receives an invitation to a game. Once you get chosen you can never back out and this is a game you can't afford to lose. When the clock strikes at midnight, the game begins. I welcome you to Midnight Circus. A story of survival, love, magic, action and maybe mystery too. Another summary inside and NaLu, Jerza, Gruvia, and (maybe) GaLe pairings.
1. Prologue

Genres: Romance, Action, Adventure, Mystery, Comedy (maybe), Angst, School Life

Summary: Once you get chosen, there's no way out. You have to play the game until you lose but you can't afford to lose in this game. This goes for the students of Fairy Academy, where they lead normal lives knowing magic around them but not allowed to use it; until invitations were sent out to selected people and more followed after. Once the clock strikes twelve every Wednesday and Saturday of the week, the game begins and the Midnight Circus is unleashed. It depends on the players on how they strive to win either through rivalry, friendship, family, or even love. But in this game many rules will be broken and many boundaries shall be crossed, destroying the thinking that everything is **Normal.** I welcome you to the Midnight Circus.

Even though everyone is playing this peculiar game, but they can't help but fall in love with one another even if it takes everything for them to be together. Hearts closer than ever, and feelings sprouting in this game that doesn't require love; in the end what will be the outcome of normal magic user students who got dragged in a crazy game and stumbled upon love? Will they be heart broken or a total pure love story till the end?

Love pairings: Natsu and Lucy (main); Gray and Juvia; Jellal and Erza, Gajeel and Levy; and maybe many more.

(Prologue Chapter)

It was just a normal Tuesday afternoon and class being over was a miracle for the students of Fairy Academy in the city of Magnolia. The school which limits its students in magic usage to avoid the incidents where they would destroy everything and let the school take the blame. It was one way to ensure discipline to all of them at least.

Students with different kinds of expressions and emotions all headed back to the dorms while some went back to their houses. Sighs and yelps filled the air as everyone kept living in their normal lives.

"Happy, I'm home!" A wooden door barged open as a tall young mage entered with a flying blue cat greeting him.

"Natsu welcome back! We're having fish for dinner." His best friend smiled as it went back to the stove, frying fish.

Collapsing on to his hanging bed, a card flew out and landed on top of his lap.

"What's this?" Taking a glance at it, he followed the words with his eyes.

_**Congratulations, you have been selected to play in Midnight Circus. **_

_**The game for you shall start at midnight, but before that an introduction to the rules and objectives of the game shall take place. Once chosen you can't back out and once you lose, you're out. You can't say no in participating no matter what and so I wish you luck. **_

_**Embrace the darkness of the night.**_

_**-The Game Master-**_

"What the hell is this?" Scrunching up his eyebrows as everyone else who received the same invitation also reacted in a way to it.

"A game, you've got to be kidding me." A raven haired boy threw the letter to the floor as he went back to listen some music in his headphones.

"I have no time for such childish nonsense." The door slammed behind her as she left the card on her bed, still having to do some Student Council work.

"Oh, what's this?" A petite girl saw it dropped as she was reading through her books, having a confused look.

"Eh, a game? Juvia is too old for games." Her pale skin glowed as she looked out the window, waiting for the rain to arrive with the card being held by her two fingers.

"Heh, I'm not in to playing games anymore." Punching his iron fists into a sand bag, the letter dropped on to the floor after having read it quickly.

Sitting in his desk as he deeply stared into the invitation in front of him, after dropping a while ago, he knew something wrong or something bad was in this _game._

"President, you're being called." A voice knocked him out of his trance and he smiled just by seeing her face.

"Yeah, I'll be right there." Sliding out from his table, he walked out of the room, leaving the invitation behind.

More students also received the same invitation and those who didn't were considered lucky for now. But in the midst of all of that, someone was sitting in the shadows, smiling wickedly as that person watched everyone who received that letter through lacrima vision.

"Now the boredom shall be gone with this little game." A chuckle echoed and then that person waited for the clock to strike twelve to officially start the Midnight Circus.

Everyone didn't know what was in stored for them until the sound of the clock rang in their ears and the game officially began. People change and some don't but without noticing it, hearts do and will it be for the better or for the worse?

_End of Prologue_


	2. Chapter 1

_**Chapter 1**_

_**The Game Begins**_

For some reason, everyone has been chattering a lot lately especially in my class. It all started two months ago where on a Wednesday morning, most of my classmates seemed tired and down. I could hear snores from my chair and others were wincing in pain as they moved reacting to their bandaged bruises. Some were even absent and others came in during the middle of the day. No one tells me why they were like that but sometimes I see some huddle in groups and whisper about something. I wonder what was wrong with my class and now the rest of the school was like this, all chattering and tired every Wednesday morning.

"Lu-chan!" A familiar short blue haired girl came running to me in the hallway.

"Oh Levy, what is it?" I smiled back as she waved her left arm endlessly at me.

"I can't hang out with you after school today, I've got to go home right away and rest. I'm sorry." She placed her hands together and bowed her head down at me.

"It's alright." I signed her to raise her head. "But isn't it Friday? Why do you have to rest since tomorrow is a Saturday?"

"That's exactly why. Tomorrow is a Saturday and I've got plans so early in the morning."

"Really, then I understand." I sighed.

"Thank you Lu-chan. I'll make it up to you, I promise." Giving me a tight hug, she scurried back away to her class as the bell rang.

Huddling my books back at my chest, I walked back to my classroom, with doors sliding close as I entered. Everyone chatted about something but became quiet when I walked going to my seat. I heard whispers in the background that may be directed to me or something but I ignored it as the stares that were gazing at me slowly lessened.

"Hi Luce!" A cheerful voice made me turn my head to the left as my seatmate grinned at me.

"Hey Natsu." I smiled back. He was resting his head on top of his desk as the white scarf around his collar covered his face a bit as he lied on the wooden table. "Are you by chance, sleeping?" I asked as he shot his eyes open in the sound of my voice.

"Yeah, I have to rest a lot before that." He scratched his head as he went back to lie down and sleep.

Letting him do it, I also wondered what '_that'_ or '_it_' means. I've been continuously hearing those words in sentences about rankings, or the strategies, outcomes and so on. But I never heard anyone use a name but maybe they had and I just missed it by chance.

"You know Lucy, you're lucky you don't have to participate in that." Natsu mumbled as he drifted back to sleep.

"What?" My eyes widened not understanding by what he meant in being lucky.

The doors slid open and everyone rushed back to their seats and Natsu groggily sat up with his eyes still droopy. I chuckled a bit at his face all messed up from sleeping. The teacher, a tall man about in his 30's with dark blue hair combed neatly walked in as everyone died back to silence.

Tapping his books on the wooden table, he cleared his throat and began to speak in a moderate volume.

"Today, all of you will have a magic capability test." Everyone groaned at the announcement and I lumped back to my seat. I hated these kinds of things where they monitor your magic usage. If you go beyond the required magic to be tested, you have to train after the test to control your power to maximum level which should only be 40%. The other schools laugh at us saying we have weak magic power because of this stupid limit. Mine would only be until 15% since my magic is somewhat a summoning, and the highest I got was only 25% which it only happened once.

Others would muster up to 39%, trying their best to limit it, while I tried my best to bring it all out. The highest I seen so far from my class was 92% from Natsu Dragneel and Gray Fullbuster after their fight. They had to stay for a long time after the test just to reduce it back to 40%.

"Class 2-A be quiet and head to the gym." Macao-sensei picked up his books and walked out of the room.

Sluggishly standing up from my chair, I felt an arm around my shoulders and found Natsu by my side smiling again.

"Don't be down Luce! It's not like every day we get to use our magic."

"Yeah..." He was right; we weren't allowed to use our magic so freely especially on the school campus. We were somehow allowed to if it was outside, but if we get caught in a fight or breaking anything involving magic, then we would be severely punished. Somehow Gray and Natsu always managed to fight with no magic so they were only scolded.

The test was taking too long for the whole second years in high school. I would see a lot of people exceeding the limit while others barely exceeded it. Sighing as it was up for my turn, I stood in front of the Magic Power Finder (MPF), mustering all my magic to my palms. Yellow light flashed going to the crystal ball and it displayed a score.

"23%" a teacher called.

I sighed as it was another low one, but I managed to get out of 15 at least. I walked back to my seat and saw Natsu taking his turn at the MPF. Breathing in slowly, his chest expanded and blew fire out of his mouth to the crystal ball.

"78%" the teacher called.

"Looks like he'll be staying here again to _train_ his limits..." I stared at him as a teacher went over and sent him outside with the others.

Finally, the day was over and I lazily carried my bag on my shoulder. Everyone was in a hurry to go home as so were the ones who had to train. I saw Natsu walking in the distance and he waited for me to catch up.

"You're done limiting your power?" I touched his shoulder as we began to walk.

"Yeah, they decided to let us go early since it's a Friday." He had his arms up, stretching and yawned.

I smiled at him and we talked about some stuff until our ways had to separate. I finally got to my house and of course, no one else was there. I lived separately with my father who was back at a manor in another city, while my mom died when I was still young. I was currently renting an apartment and I would get my monthly allowance and expenses from him time to time.

Slowly falling back to my bed, I saw a square white card lying on my pink comforter. Picking it up, my eyebrows arched as I read the short content.

"Been selected to play in Midnight Circus?" My voice was a bit of surprised and questioning about the invitation or note. "A game that starts at midnight... that's peculiar."

I placed the card on my desk and took a shower. Through the whole night, the message on the card kept bothering me about this game. I opened my computer and searched for _Midnight Circus_, but no such game existed so giving up, I went back to my bed staring at the card. Something told me not to change into my pyjamas so I wore casual clothes instead. A red hoodie and an emerald mini skirt which was paired with brown fur boots.

With the card in my hand, I sat up and looked at the clock. It was 11:44 p.m.; minutes away until midnight. Just sitting there and waiting for the clock to strike 12, the card glowed and a wave of light surrounded me, blinding me of my surroundings. With the white fading away, I noticed I was at the park but with everything a bit shade of blue with it. Looking around, I found I was alone.

The card glowed again and an image of a person with a violet hood covering his/her face appeared at thin air. The image was only up to his/her shoulders and it was enlarged many times. With me staring at the hooded person, he/she spoke with a deep voice so I presumed he was a man.

"Welcome to Midnight Circus, Lucy Heartfilia." He greeted but looking at his face, it was a black shadow, not seeing a tiny bit of his skin. "I am the Game Master, and the game has started two months ago with the selected students of Fairy Academy and other schools. Most of the students at your school are already playing while some have yet to be invited like you." He paused as I continued on staring at endless blackness through his hood.

"The rules of this game are simple. No. 1; you must not reveal this game to anyone who is not participating in it or a punishment shall await you. No. 2; you have to do the given tasks for you or any goal. Problems may come up along the way but there is no time limit in accomplishing it. No. 3; you are allowed to use magic how much you want even destroy the buildings here. You won't get caught by your school or anyone who's not a player here. No. 4; you're allowed to have any affiliates here whether you want to form a team or just a pair is fine. No. 5; you have the freedom to choose if you want to become a villain or a hero here. You may also change your side but do not continuously keep changing or you shall have a consequence. And No. 6; try your best not to lose here."

He was quiet again as the image just floated right there above the stone path. It seemed he rested a bit until his voice spoke again.

"The objectives of this game are like an online game where there are tasks, quests but this game has lesser things like those troublesome online ones. You have only one grand quest here and that is to find the forbidden room where you shall defeat three dragons. But the time here in the game world is until dawn only then you are transported back to the real world, so make the most in finding the room. Once you get to do that, a prize shall be granted to the winner, a wish or so. But if you lose here then a punishment shall be given to you."

It took a long time for him to continue so I spoke up. "What's the punishment?"

"Oh it's something that you fear the most. Others fear death while others have such extraordinary fears which I can make it happen."

"How can you lose here anyway?" My mind snapped as the punishment rang into my head. He knows everyone's fears including mine.

"Oh that's simple. If you die in this game you're out and no possibility to come back again to play, but to win this thing, you have to kill if you want to gain more power and strength. Every stab you make transfers the victim's magic power to you by 5%, and if you kill him/her, then you get to keep his power strength to yourself even in the real world. That's how it is; any questions?"

"Yeah, what if I don't want to participate?" I crossed my arms over my chest.

"You have no choice. Once the clock strikes twelve on a Wednesday or a Saturday, you'll be automatically transported to the game zone and the game begins. If you don't want to play then you can just stand there and do nothing but others take this seriously and go by far to killing. Oh and the wounds you get here are also implied to real life, except for death that is. You're punishment for losing is your worst fear and whether or not you're aware of losing; you'll still get it no matter what."

I gulped down my throat as this game seems to be scarier by every second. I felt sweat sliding down my face as I waited any more announcements.

The bell of the clock echoed throughout the game zone, and the card suddenly went to my right hand, embedding the sign of our school. I had a pink mark on my hand that looked like wings and a tail.

"It's midnight. The game begins!" The Game Master disappeared and I heard weird sounds coming after one another as if something was dropping.

Figures came after another and some were familiar ones. A scream resounded and in the distant, I saw a girl being chased by a guy with something maybe magic perhaps? I saw blood drip down from her arm as his magic hit her and a whitish yellow smoke came out from her going into him. I stood there shocked as she continued running with an attempt to use magic. Soon they were gone from sight, entering the city.

A sudden boom landed at my side and I rolled away just in time before it hit me.

"Aw, too bad. I missed." A woman who wore glasses and a green dress with flowing brown hair stood on top of a tree. "But not this time; I'll kill you for sure!" With a wave of her fan, something flew towards me and I managed to dodge it but it grazed my left arm. Again the whitish yellow smoke appeared from me going to her. I ran away as she was distracted by someone else on the other side, making him her prey.

I held my arm which continued to bleed until I managed to find an empty alleyway where I decided to rest. Breathing heavily, this game freaked me out more than ever and I can't imagine surviving with my weak magic power. I'll die here.

I heard footsteps nearing and I began to panic again. I wasn't able to grab my keys or whip before so I was helpless right now. Maybe on my first time here, I'll die instantly. Closing my eyes and clenching hand around my wound, I heard a tin can clatter nearby and the footsteps stop. Just I was prepared to feel pain stabbing me, a familiar voice called out.

"Lucy?" I shot my eyes open and looked above me.

"Natsu?" He had his scarf wrapped around his neck as he wore a simple maroon shirt over black jeans and sneakers. He was blinking in surprise and confusion as he stared at me in disbelief.

"What are you doing here and what happened?" He came over to me and removed my hand on my bleeding wound.

"I received a card when I got home saying I was selected to play in Midnight Circus. Then as just the Game Master disappeared when the game began, a woman attacked me but I managed to get away. I can't use any magic now since I wasn't able to bring my keys so I'm completely defenceless right now." I felt tears gather at my eyes as I was glad that I manage to stumble upon Natsu.

"Shit, why were you chosen?" He cursed under his breath and took a look at my wound. Ripping a piece of his shirt, he tied my cut and then securely knotted it to stop the bleeding.

"Thanks..." I mumbled.

"Don't mention it and come on." He offered his hand to me. "I'll protect you so don't worry about dying here now. I'm here and I won't let anyone hurt you okay?"

I grabbed his hand, feeling my face blush up. My heart thumped a bit faster than normal but I was happy that I had someone that I can depend on.

"Thank you and I'm sorry I'll be a burden for you. Defending yourself is hard enough already." I stood up and I felt his hand tightened the grip on my hand.

"You're not a burden so don't say such things. I chose to protect you so count on me."

Surely I can count on Natsu to protect me in this crazy game.

**-To be continued-**

**A/N: So how was the first chapter? If this isn't doing so well, then I'll be forced to delete it and make another story in the future I guess.**

**More Natsu and Lucy moments in the next chapter!**

**Please review on your thoughts. ^^**


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Friends?**

**A/N: Notice that I added a little introduction story to prologue so care to read if you want.**

"Neh Natsu, how long has it been since we've been running around?" I tried to catch my breath as I supported myself on a brick wall, after having run so much.

"It's been three hours." I looked over and saw his chest rapidly going up and down as he breathed in air also. The upper part of his shirt was dark from his sweat and he was filled with bruises after blocking the attacks, though the bruises didn't count as stabs so no magic left him.

He has been holding my hand all this while and finally released it after we finally got to rest and got the eyes of everyone away from us. We are safe for now, after finding a small shop that seemed abandoned. Actually it was a bakery in the real world but this one was only empty.

"Three more hours to go until we can get out of here..." I finally came down and slid on to the wooden floor, feeling my legs numb from the fatigue. Closing my eyes but still huffing, I felt a warm touch on my shoulder that sent vibes throughout my body.

Slowly looking to my side as I opened my eyes, I saw Natsu taking a rest beside me, his shoulder brushing mine. He seemed to calm down also but this was somehow a bit awkward for me.

"Um, you're too close Natsu. It's a little bit hot in here." I came up with an excuse for him to move over a bit.

"If I take a nap a few inches away from you, something might happen I may regret. Someone may come in and attack and it may be a little too late if I'm just a bit far away from you so to be safe I'll stay by your side." He mumbled as he drifted off to sleep.

Hearing him say those words, I mouthed my thanks not making any sound. Seeing him sleep soundly, I tilted his head on to my shoulder at least to show my gratitude for being able to protect me this long. His spiked pink hair was smooth and it didn't feel sticky to the touch like some guy's hair would. I smiled a little as I kept staring at his face that peacefully rested after trying his best.

I would doze off sometimes and would be driven off to sleep but I couldn't afford if something would happen once I close my eyes for a while. Maybe the next time I would open them, Natsu would be gone and I won't know where her went. I'm afraid of being alone in this game.

Surprisingly another hour passed and no one found us in the shop. I would sometimes hear people running by and screaming and an explosion but no one even attempted to look through the glass. They were all chasing or would be the one being chased. I looked over through the window from our cosy spot, seeing the night still as black as always. I attempted to find stars but not a single one I found.

Just as I looked back at Natsu who was still sleeping on my shoulder, a voice ranged out in the shop which sent chills down my spine.

"So you were here." A familiar deep voice came from the entry way of the shop. He was tall, muscular, and shirtless?

I felt Natsu lift his head up and rubbed his eyes with his fists. He yawned and looked over to the man standing in the doorway.

"Oh it's snowman." He groggily stood up from his spot and walked over stretching his muscles.

"Wait Natsu, don't tell me you'll plan to fight?" I clenched my fist at my chest, worried that something might happen.

"Well it would be a great exercise." He smiled.

"You could still afford to take a nap in this game huh? Do you really have a brain?" The man made a smirk and then removed his hands from his pockets.

"You're shirtless you know."

"Shut up!"

The two engaged in a fight outside of the shop, leaving me to chase after them. Flames and ice were exchanged one after the other but no stabs were given to either of them. Soon they finally stopped as they exchanged manly smiles towards each other, catching their breaths.

"You're not someone who can be taken down easily at least." The raven haired boy bumped his fist with Natsu.

"So do you." He bumped back.

They both exchanged laughs and it hit me who he was, not noticing him because of being shirtless.

"You're Gray from our class right?" I popped out between them, breaking away their laughter.

"Yeah I am... You didn't know me Lucy?" He stared at me with disbelief in his eyes.

"No... I'm not used to seeing you shirtless." My face became a shade of pink from the embarrassment.

"Haha... one day you'll be mistaken for a pervert." Natsu teased only to be punched on the head by Gray.

The three of us headed back to shop waiting for the remaining time to end in this game. As expected, they showered each other with insults as they did back at school and would be punished right after a teacher catches them. Their fight was endless even though it was nothing physical.

With a lot in my mind, I decided to clarify some things about this game. So I stopped their bickering and got answers from their mouths instead.

"So what's with this tattoo of our insignia of the school?"

Still giving a deathly glare at each other, Natsu beat Gray into answering. "Well it's somehow a mark in our game, like to what school we belong. I saw other different tattoos while fending other people off. Most of them were schools far from Magnolia but we're lucky that the game stage is designed from our city. We have an advantage. But the tattoo disappears once we get back to the real world."

Looking at my hand with the pink wing having a tail, I wondered something else as I looked over again at Natsu and Gray.

"So are you guys doing any progress in finding the forbidden room?"

A shock went through them and somehow they lost all their energy. They mumbled something their backs but I demanded them to answer me.

"Um..." Gray went first. "You see it's not as easy as it sounds. First of all we don't know what the forbidden room looks like and second, all we know is that three dragons await us. Also many people are hunting each other so progress won't be that much of a success."

"Popsicle's right. Taking on three dragons by yourself is impossible since you have to battle off a lot of pests along the way and this forbidden room is hard to find with no clues. But I'm not saying I couldn't take down dragons by myself. After all I'm a dragon slayer." Natsu gave a boastful look at Gray who in turn started bickering with him again.

Letting out a sigh, I heard a loud bang from the entrance and two men found us with all their noise. They snickered and came towards us with each stomping step.

"Looks like we'll be getting a lot of magic tonight..." A slender yet scary looking guy glared at us with his creepy eyes.

"Yes we will." His partner who was bigger and more muscular carried a big bat behind his back.

Both of them had a killing intent in their eyes and as much I wanted to scream, Natsu and Gray stood up in front of them.

"Oh looks like we've got some brave mice here." The men laughed but Gray and Natsu only made an amused sound.

"They don't know who they are dealing with." Natsu mumbled to Gray in a low voice.

"Well it was partly our fault why magic is limited in our school since we destroyed almost half of the city back then."

"Yeah, care to do it again?"

"Gladly."

Both of them sent punches down to the two men as I watched in awe the first time they fought this intense. Kicks and blows were aimed at the oppressors and Gray and Natsu seemed to fight well together.

"Ice Make Lance!"

"Breath of the Fire Dragon!"

The two attacks were the finishing blow before a wave of yellowish white smoke came floating in to the two of them. Soon after smiling at one another, the sound of the clock rang throughout the whole city, deafening me with its bells.

Light engulfed us and the next thing I knew, I was back in my room. The sun had already come up and looking at my clock, it was 6:01 a.m. lying back to my bed; the sharp pain coming from the wound in my arm seemed to come back after returning to the real world. The ripped piece of Natsu's shirt was drenched in blood around my arm and I should properly replace it with a bandage soon but for some reason, I didn't want to remove it.

Staring at my ceiling as the sun continued to raise, my door swung open and I quickly sat up, startled from the sound and movement.

"Lucy!" A familiar voice called out into my room and I blinked my eyes to clear up my vision if I was seeing things or not.

"Natsu what are you doing here?" I shouted as he just barged in to a girl's room.

"Well I wanted to make sure you returned and I'll bandage your wound for you." He calmed down after he shut the door. "Nice place you got here." Looking around, he made himself comfortable on my sofa.

"Wait how did you know where I lived?"

"Well I followed your scent of course."

"My sc-scent?" My face began to blush up as he just bluntly said that sniffing out a girl's smell and following it is normal.

"Anyway, give me your arm." Slightly lifting my wounded arm up, I winced as the pain travelled throughout my body. "Do you have any clean towel and first aid box here?"

Directing him where to get it, it took a few minutes before he came back with everything he needed. Lifting up my arm and gently removing the bloody cloth, he tapped the cold wet towel on my arm lightly. Wincing a bit from the cold and pain, Natsu was gentle enough to the touch.

Applying medicine and bandaging it, in a few minutes he was done. Actually he cleaned my arm by rubbing the small towel on my arm back and forth numerous of times which made my heart raced a bit.

"There it's done!" He smiled widely and then cleaned up the rest of the stuff then put them away.

"Thanks Natsu." I mumbled.

"Heh, it's what friends do right?"

"Friends?" I was startled with the term. All this time, I thought of him only as a classmate since I wasn't the one to jump into conclusion we were friends if we only barely talked.

"Yup, we're friends!" After that huge smile, he yawned pretty big and snuggled in to my bed.

"Wait Natsu, what are you doing?" I was flustered from his actions, just lying on my bed all of a sudden.

"I'm sleepy so I'll sleep."

"What?" I tried to get him off but it was too late, he was already fast asleep. Feeling my eyes become heavy, I collapsed on to his side and slept myself.

We slept through the whole day side by side each other on my bed. I was hoping that the game was only a dream but if it was a dream then this wouldn't be happening now.

**-To be Continued-**

**A/N: Ummm so how was it? Thanks for the follows/faves/reviews!**


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Rumours**

The bell rang throughout the school as I dropped my pen on my desk after having continuously tapping it. It was finally lunch time and going to school on a Monday after certain events was pretty tiring.

Recalling back last Friday, I mean Saturday since it happened at midnight, I got dragged into a scary game and the only way out is if I managed to find the _forbidden room_ and defeat three dragons. If that wasn't tiring enough, Natsu crashed at my place for the weekend. No matter how much I push him out, he wouldn't budge so I had to cook for him as well and clean up after the mess he made in my room.

Exhaling a bit as I pushed back my chair and stood up, an arm went around my neck and pulled me hard to the side.

"Hey Lucy, let's eat lunch together!" A cheerful and carefree voice happily called out as everyone else exited.

"Natsu, you didn't have to pull me around the neck. And please don't shout; I'm right here you know." Lifting up the muscular weight on my shoulders, I threw it back and flipped my hair. "Besides, why are you asking me to eat lunch when we rarely talk?"

"That's so mean." He pouted as I raised an eyebrow. "We are classmates and friends you know, so is it weird if I invite you to eat together sometimes?"

"Friends?" I flinched at the word when he said it, plus inviting me to lunch was a first. Guys only invite me to lunch when they want something or if they are my boyfriend, other than that guy friends particularly ask for food but never say that they want to eat with me.

Feeling happy with his words, I agreed to eat with him but...

"Hey Lucy, can you pay for my lunch? I've got no cash on me right now so please... I'll make it up to you I promise." He gave me an idiotic smile as we were in front of the cashier in the canteen.

"You idiot." I handed the lady some money and picked up my tray, having Natsu follow behind me. This was a first, a guy friend inviting me to lunch when actually I had to pay for him. He's sly.

Setting the plastic square down on a table, Natsu sat opposite of me as I pulled my chair. Twirling the silver fork around my pasta, I carefully took it in my mouth as to not get any stains on my uniform or it'll be a pain. Glancing over to him, he chomped down his cheese burger with one bite leaving only half of it.

"Don't tell me you're planning on eating all of those?" I pointed to four big cheese burgers that were stacked on his tray. Even with the size of that burger, his mouth was big enough to take in half of it.

"Yeah... I have a big appetite so I have to eat a lot." Swallowing it down, he took a sip on his drink.

Sighing, I began to twirl my pasta again when I saw someone familiar coming closer to our table.

"Hey Luce. Mind if I sit with you guys?" A tall shadow stopped by us and with a nod, he sat down.

"What's with that ridiculous amount of curry?" Natsu looked over to the other guy's plate.

"What's with that amount of cheese burgers? Aren't you man enough to eat at least ten?" The other one argued back.

"It looks like they're at it again." I sighed as Natsu and Gray bawled beside me. Continuing on eating with my pasta, I decided to ignore them as much as I can.

"Want to go at it Flame brain!"

"Any time popsicle!"

Seriously they just keep getting louder and louder as they were already on top of their seats face to face. Everyone was looking at us, with different kinds of eyes. They attracted too much attention but they were the school's most popular students to fight each other without magic, so I can't be surprised.

"It's the Student Council." Someone called out in the room and immediately, both bickering boys quietly sat down on their seats, stiff.

I looked over to the door and saw a brilliant colour of scarlet, flowing as a tall woman entered with another tall man by her side.

"Who are they?" I looked over to Gray and Natsu who seemed to calm down.

"Oh that's right; you just transferred when school started this year so you don't know them." Natsu looked at me then back to those two people.

"That man is Jellal Fernandes, the Student Council President and beside him is Erza Scarlet, the Vice President also known as Titania. They are both third years." Gray pointed them out as they walked across the room, going to the counter.

"Oh!" My eyes flickered as I remembered something not too long ago. "I heard rumours that the Student Council President and Vice President are going out. Is that true?"

"No way!" They both shouted in unison, after looking disgusted by the news.

"There's no way that Titania is going out with somebody like the President!" Natsu slammed his hands on the table.

"She's a demon I tell you. Her punishments are not even fit for humans!" A drop of cold sweat ran down Gray's face as the Student Council passed by.

Looking at them, they seem pretty compatible from my view. Walking together side by side like that, it wouldn't be a surprise if one of them liked the other. Though I did hear more rumours that the Vice President Erza Scarlet has been living in the school dorms since she was a child and that when the President Jellal Fernandes transferred here during middle school, they seem pretty close. Others assumed that they were childhood friends or others even assumed that they were related, but it's just rumours.

Looking back at the two, they were quietly eating their food until there were no left. Heading to the courtyard since there was still a lot of time, the sweet breeze ran across my face as I closed my eyes. Gray and Natsu seemed to be behaving after seeing the Student Council before but I felt an aura that they were not getting along too well.

"Do you guys even try to find the _forbidden room?_" I opened one eye as I got their attention, talking about Midnight Circus.

"Yeah, but with everyone going on a rampage like that, it's hard to do it alone." Natsu looked up at the sky, as clouds kept drifting by.

"I have to agree on you with that." Gray leaned on a tree as silence died in on us.

After numerous gusts of cold air passed by, a loud voice cracked the serenity that I was in. Feeling annoyed, I was about to shout when a pat on my back startled me. Looking back, I saw a wide smile overflowing with warmth and happiness.

"How about we form a team to hunt down that _forbidden room_ together? That way we can depend on people our backs and exiting the game would be a lot easier." Natsu looked over at me and Gray with a wide smile.

Arching up our eyebrows, we couldn't believe what Natsu was thinking but he did have a point. Doing it alone was impossible and with a team, clearing up the objective and getting out of the game would be a lot faster. Stepping forward, we were beside Natsu with eager faces.

"It's settled then!" Reaching his hand outward, me and Gray placed ours on top of Natsu's and shouted together. "Alright, let's win this game!"

Laughing happily, I can't help but not notice Gray shirtless. Though he was shirtless, but he did have a great body so there was nothing to hide.

"Oi, you lost your shirt again." Natsu called out as Gray jumped from the sudden cold breeze.

"What the hell? Not again!" He ran rather fast going back to the school building leaving me and Natsu standing there.

"Again?" I was confused when they said "again". Could this have happened numerous times before?

"Well, ever since we were in elementary he would always lose his shirt all of a sudden, not realizing he did. There was a time in middle school when during a morning ceremony; he lost all of his clothes in a split second while he was just standing there. How funny it was when he got dragged by Erza and gave him a beating after he changed. Up until now he still loses his clothes but he secures his pants and underwear very well with stuff sticking to who knows where." Natsu laughed as the memories came rushing back to him.

I didn't know who these people were before and making friends just like this, is kind of refreshing for me. Knowing about their past also seems interesting and getting to know them better, well I just may finally achieve my goal in having a normal school life even for just a bit.

Hearing the first bell rang, it was a signal for the students to start heading back to their class. Taking a step forward all of a sudden, made me lose my balance and thus I headed straight for the cement floor. Closing my eyes as I waited for any impact, I felt a warm muscular built at my back. Gently opening my eyes, I realized that Natsu caught me in time before I fell flat.

My heart beat became faster all of a sudden as I felt his grip on me, it was spreading heat all throughout. I felt a pressure on my chest, it doesn't hurt but it was something odd. I looked down and saw his hands grabbing my breasts. My face turned pink and for sure I was going to punch him after I get back up. Slowly pulling me up, it felt awkward with the movement as his hands were still locked on to my breasts, not letting them go as I stood straight up.

After finally freed from his grip, I held up my right fist but I couldn't afford to punch him after seeing his happy expression. Rather I should be angry with him being happy but it had a hint of innocence in it.

"Looks like me looking after you, is also a job here in the real world." He smiled as he scratched his head. That smile was so innocent and his face that had dabs of pink on it, made me forget about my rage.

I breathed in and then turned my back on him, hiding my bashful expression.

"Thanks for catching me." I muttered slowly, with the urge to glance back.

It took a while before I heard a reply but when I did, it made me feel relieved.

"No problem. Just remember that I'm always here for you Luce!" Even with the urge to look back, I can't afford to or he'll see my red face. Taking a step forward, I decided to head back before him, even just a bit so that I can calm down.

"We better go or we'll be late and get a scolding." I rushed back to the building first, hearing Natsu calling out to wait for him.

It looks like I can't handle dense people especially if they are innocent and if it's Natsu, it looks like I'll be sliding a lot of things by in the near future too. I wonder if he'll ever get a girl friend being that dense.

I smiled as I skipped back to the classroom.

**-To be continued-**

**A/N: So what do you think of the story so far? Just to say um... this will also be involving school life so it won't just focus on the game alone and particularly, this story shall revolve on the lives of the people that were changed due to the game so many things will still be happening. **

**Review please and thanks for the favourites and follows!**


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**After School**

Hearts thumping, footsteps echoing, I'm suddenly all alone in the hallway with Natsu. He was holding my hand, gently grasping it as we walked through the wide hallway, just the two of us after school.

"Lucy..." he called out and I felt my heart skipped a beat. Feeling my face blush up by the sound of his voice, I replied.

"W-What is it Natsu?"

Suddenly stopping our pace, I looked up and our eyes met, locking in our gazes at one another. Lifting up my left hand, the sound of my heart echoed through my ears. Closing my eyes with not taking this feeling anymore, I anticipated his next move as he moved my hand. Feeling something flat and light on my palm, I opened my eyes.

"W-What is this?" I scrunched up my eyebrows.

"Well you see..." He laughed a bit and scratched the back of his head as he had another idiotic smile on his face. I know he wanted something from me again. "Could you please take those results to the Student Council?"

"Weren't you the one who lost in the contest where the loser will hand this over to the Student Council? Why are you giving it to me?" I folded my arms and gave him a piercing glare.

"Well you see, Erza might be there and when she sees me, she'll start interrogating as if I had done a crime. She's pretty scary." His body shivered as images of Erza kicked in his brain. "So please Lucy. Do me this favour." Pleading with both of his hands, I can't actually say no since he did save my life in the game.

"Fine... I'll bring it so stop whining already." I walked passed him, brushing our shoulders as I held the stacks of paper in my left hand and headed down the hall.

The school was big and it being an escalator type, it has a fairly big campus. The Student Council was still down this long hall and our classroom is at the next floor, complete opposite of this direction. I should have just brought my bag with me when I had the chance.

Exhaling as the non ending walking still continued, I remembered that tonight would be my second time playing Midnight Circus. I'm not excited at all about this game, rather I want to get out of it as much as possible but I can't afford to lose. It's definitely a battle of survival so when I get home, I should definitely rest.

Slightly hitting the wooden door with my fingers, I twisted the knob and pushed the door open, managing only a small crack.

"Excuse me but I'm here to submit class 2-1's results for the survey." I called out as I heard footsteps and voices inside.

"Come in." A sweet womanly voice replied and so I pushed the door open and the person who greeted me had a warm smile on her face. White silver hair flowing down her back with her bangs neatly tied up her forehead, showing her smooth white skin that glowed as the sunset bathed the whole room with an orange colour.

Gently closing the door behind me, I bowed my head and placed the stacks of paper on the wooden table in front of her. Hearing her chuckle, I rose up my head and saw two blue orbs, shining brightly as they gazed at me.

"Would you want to sit down and have some tea first?" Her voice was mellow and soft that I was not used to listening to it, thus making me all jumpy.

"Yes, thank you." I smiled as I sat on the green sofa as she disappeared into the next room, hearing cups clatter.

Getting all cosy from the sofa, I heard footsteps coming from another room, and with another door opening slowly, revealed the Vice President with her scarlet hair flowing freely. Hearing the door clicked, she looked down at me with her dark shining eyes staring at me yet I can't feel any pierce through her glare.

"Have we met before?" she sat down on the chair in front of me, crossing her legs.

"I don't think so. Maybe you just saw me around the campus but we never had really talked." I smiled as I gathered up my saliva and swallowed them all down my throat while recalling the past.

"Is that so... you seem familiar but I don't know your name." She crossed her arms and went in to deep thinking while lowering her head.

"My name's Lucy Heartfilia and I just transferred recently. I'm in class 2-1."

"Oh so a new student, and Lucy huh... well I think I was just mistaken." Rising up her head, she gave me a smile. "I'm Erza Scarlet, class 3-1 and the Student Council Vice President. It's nice to meet you."

Chuckling, I heard footsteps and the other girl was back with a silver tray on her hands filled with three cups and a porcelain teapot.

"Sorry for the wait." She set down the tray and served us each our tea. Gently reaching over to mine, I smelled the relaxing aroma coming from the liquid in my cup.

"So you're name's Lucy. I'm Mirajane Strauss but please do call me Mira. I'm in class 3-1 and the Student Council treasurer and temporarily the secretary also." She happily sipped her cup and before I knew it, a conversation started.

"So Lucy, are Natsu and Gray behaving at class?" Erza swallowed down her throat a small amount of tea.

"Well you could say that." I chuckled a bit trying to get relaxed in this atmosphere, having tea with two girls I barely knew.

"That's good to hear. They always caused a ruckus since Elementary." Hearing those words, I guess the rumours were true that she was here since her Elementary year. I wonder if it's true that she basically lives in the dorm and doesn't go home even if there is a break or a holiday. Well the same goes for the President but being the Student Council can cover that rumour up with the Council's work.

Sipping a bit from my cup, I coughed the tea out as soon as Mira entered the conversation.

"So Lucy, do you have anyone you like?" Wiping my mouth with my wrist, I faced her feeling my face blush up.

"What are you saying Senpai?" she gave me a smile sensing my awkwardness with the topic.

"Please, you could stop with the formalities. Just call us by our names." Mira continued to sip with her tea and with a swallow, another kind of smile appeared on her face. "So do you like Natsu or Gray?"

With another cough, I choked on my own saliva and then began to face her with that matter. This was the first time someone talked about love with me that was concerning me. I can't believe that an upperclassman would be the first to discuss it and most of all we just met.

"What do you mean Mira? How can you say that I like either Natsu or Gray?"

"Oh so that means you do like either one of them or did you have another one?" She raised an eyebrow and had a mischievous smile going up her face.

"What?" I freaked out, not going along her pace. No matter how much I clear it up, she would make it worse and then it really does feel like she's making me spill out who I like.

"Mira, I think you're going too far." Erza looked over at us as she quietly sipped her tea. "She just transferred and the road to love still has a long way."

"You're right Erza, sorry." Mira giggled and then faced back at me with a satisfied smile. "Love still has a long way for you so go and get to know the boys better. And if you're having any troubles about it, you can come for my help. But you have to absolutely tell me if you get a boyfriend."

Pointing her index finger up with a creepy smile, she was scaring me on how serious she was on other's love life. I guess if she became someone's girlfriend, they wouldn't be able to fool and cheat on her. She's pretty sharp.

"Oh by the way Erza..." Mira faced to her side as Erza glanced back. "Is there any progress with you and Jellal?"

I don't know if it was just me but I heard a snapping sound as soon as the name of the president was brought up. I looked over to Erza and she went pale.

"You know he is always happy when you're around and he's always in a good mood if you're beside him." Mira happily called out as Erza stiffened after every word.

"So the rumours about the Student Council President and Vice President going out, is true?" I brought it up as to go with the flow.

"That is a lie. I and Jellal are not going out." Erza tilted her head to the other way, with a blushing pink face.

"You two haven't taken a step out of being friends yet? Well it is Jellal, and it seems that he's always busy. Like now, he isn't here to join our afternoon tea." Mira had a disappointed face about the stillness of their relationship.

Getting caught up with their words, I didn't realize that the sky had already begun to get dark and I still had to rest before the games. After everyone settled down, I thanked for the tea and conversation and headed my way through the door.

"You're always welcome here Lucy." Erza smiled as I waved goodbye while opening the door.

Hearing it shut, I breathed in making my chest expand a bit before releasing an amount of air. Heading my way back to the classrooms, I noticed Natsu waiting for me not too far from the Student Council room, leaning over a wall. Noticing my presence, he smiled while holding on to my school bag.

"You're late. What took you so long anyway?" I walked beside him, heading for the stairs.

"Well you see a lot of things happened." I smiled but it seemed to arouse his curiosity more.

"What things?"

"Mira, Erza, and I had a chat and some tea." Descending slowly down the concrete stairs, we walked out of the building, heading for the gate.

"What did you talk about?" He kept walking by my side, holding my bag.

"Nothing important." I blushed up as thinking about Mira saying stuff with me liking someone made me nervous around Natsu for a bit. "Anyway, isn't your house in the other way?"

"Well there's a game at midnight and I'm protecting you so, it'd be better if we're close to one another so that you can be by my side when it starts." Still walking and saying things without a care, he was the Natsu that I know. Not knowing if he made a girl's heart beat or not, he was the Natsu who sticks with his words.

"So you're staying for dinner?" I smiled feeling my heart tighten a bit.

"Yeah, and while at it, I guess I'll sleep at your place too." He looked out to the distance, still looking like that what he said was just normal enough to a girl.

"Wait, you're sleeping at my room? Then you better get comfy on the sofa or the floor."

"What? You're bed is big enough for two people. Let me sleep on the bed with you."

"What are you saying? You're a guy!" I smacked his head, feeling my face burning up. Seriously, how could he say things like this?

"Ow... that hurts." He moaned but the next thing I knew, he was ruffling my hair with his right hand. "But you've got energy Lucy. So try your best too fight later also." He grinned making my heart beat faster again. Really, he says sweet things without realizing it.

"You don't have to tell me." I continued walking with Natsu by my side, feeling the warmth from his every word.

Really, I still do have a long way to go before love.

**-To Be Continued-**

**A/N: Thanks again for the support! Just thought of this chapter now before starting the game again. Hmmm... I wonder what will happen once the clock strikes twelve. Well anything could happen in this kind of game.**

**Oh and the reviews made me happy. Good to know the reader's opinion. **


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**The Knight in a Skirt!?**

"Oi Lucy, wake up." I was feeling a soft poke on my right cheek as I began to wake up bit by bit. My eyes were still heavy and something was forcing me back down on the bed, to ignore that soft touch on my face. "Wake up!" I felt more pokes on my face and this time it was getting annoying. I grunted and turned to the other side, getting comfy with my soft blanket. I definitely need more sleep. "Oi, wake up!" I felt my nose being pinched then it was getting hard to breathe.

"Aaah!" I sat up and glared to the person at the edge of my bed. He was wearing a goofy smile, bangs covering his eyes. "What's your problem? Can't I sleep a bit more?" I wined as I rubbed my eyes and yawned.

"Don't you know what time it is? It's already 11:15 and don't tell me you plan on playing just right after you woke up. You'll be a pain Luce." Natsu showed me my bedside clock and teased as I stared at him with half closed eyes. He's right; I should straighten myself up first before I get teleported to who knows where. It'll be a tiring six hour survival yet again.

"Fine, fine… I'll get dressed so you stay right here. I stretched out of bed and walked to the bathroom, grabbing some clothes on the way. Upon closing the door behind me, I looked at the mirror and saw my tired face. Yawning once again, I made a quick stretch as I remembered what we did earlier. Natsu apparently had a fresh change of clothes so when he arrived; he immediately changed into a black vest that had a one sided long sleeve and loose pants that had a skirt like accent around it. Pairing it with sandals, he went back to my living room, tying his scarf around his neck and stared at what I was doing. I was able to force him to do some homework and all the while he complained, but we managed to finish it right before dinner. Me cooking a quick a meal for two, he happily finished his part and we took a nap to have some energy for the game.

I felt the cold splash of water on my face as I washed with my strawberry facial wash. The soft cotton towel on my face was soothing that I would rub it back and forth in pleasure. Taking one last look in the mirror, I changed into a tank top that stopped just a few inches below my bust, and a small blue vest over it. A blue mini skirt with brown boots and keys with my whip tied to my belt was the last of my outfit. Tying my hair into two ponytails at each side, I was ready to go.

I went out of the bathroom and found Natsu lying on my bed. He was staring blankly on the ceiling, as if he was in deep thought but we are talking about Natsu so it's not possible. When he heard the click from the bathroom door, he sat up and smiled at me. He really does look adorable with that smile on his face. Wait! Why am I thinking about that?

I mentally slapped myself as I sat next to him on my bed. I stared at my clock and it was 11:30. Only thirty minutes to go. I looked over to him and he was in deep thought again, staring into nothing. I wonder why Natsu is thinking so deeply.

"Hey Luce…" I snapped out and looked at him. His eyes were serious but they were focused on something else. "Promise me when we arrive at the game area, you won't leave my side." I seriously felt my heart skip a beat as my eyes widened. Was Natsu being sweet again? My face started to blush up. "It'll really be a pain if I have to look for you all over town and can't you do something with your chest? It's a bit too big to be running around in."

I felt a vein pop in my head and I slapped the back of his head hard. "Ouch!" He screamed. I sneered at him and stood up. "You idiot!" I couldn't find any more words to add so I just turned my back at him. I heard him chuckle a bit and then I felt him grasping my arm and pulling my body towards him. I landed on his legs as I barely sat. "Wha-what are you doing?!" I shouted as I tried to stand up but he was keeping me down. "Nope." He pointed at the clock and it was almost twelve midnight. "We have to be as close to each other as possible." He smiled and I sat quietly with my face burning up as we waited for the clock to strike twelve.

_Ding dong ding dong…_ the clock bell rang in our ears and suddenly our bodies began glowing. This was it; it'll be another one heck of a survival. I felt my body being lifted up and everything turned to white. After blinking my eyes a couple of times, I was standing on the pavement beside the river with Natsu holding my hand. The insignia of Fairy Tail Academy marked my hand again and I looked around from side to side. Phew… good thing our surrounding was peaceful.

"So what do we do now?" I looked at Natsu as he held my hand tightly in his. It took a while for him to respond but then he smiled at me. "We're not looking for trouble so we'll just run." He pulled me with him and we ran through the abandoned streets. I could hear cries and explosions in the distant as the cold air engulfed us. It was really weird for no other mage was in our area. I wonder why.

"Natsu, you could let go of my hand now." I whispered at him as I could feel my cheeks burning. He released my hand, scratched his head and nervously laughed. "Sorry… I didn't notice I was still holding it." I just smiled and we hid at an alleyway as two mages passed by us, sending each other blows of their attacks. We tried to keep quiet as possible, trying to get passed this unwanted fight. We can't stay at a place for too long or we'll get discovered.

As we crept from alley to alley, I felt a cold blow sent to my ear that immediately made me shriek. "Boo!" It said and I jumped with my voice coming out of my mouth loudly. Natsu clasped my mouth with his hand to muffle my scream. "What's the big idea Luce?" He scolded me as I pointed behind me. Looking over my shoulder, his eye brow scrunched up and I turned back to see whom he was looking at.

"Yo." Gray Fullbuster stood before us with all of his clothes on. Well this was not a first but it was a surprise.

"Are you trying to kill us Snowman?" Natsu quietly screamed at Gray as he grabbed the ice mage's collar. Gray just smirked and smiled when he saw me. "Sorry for scaring you Lucy." He teased as Natsu got even more pissed. "Don't ignore me!" I felt awkward as a tensed atmosphere began to build up between this two and as Natsu's hand was still covering my mouth. How long does he want me to taste him anyway?

"Um… Natsu… your hand." My voice was muffled but with the vibrations on his hand, he quickly removed it and also released Gray. He sighed and continued walking with both of us on his tail. "Look popsicle, if you want to tag along then be quiet and move fast." He muttered as Gray smirked behind me. "Sure thing." The three of us was quiet as we transferred from alley to alley.

An hour passed when we finally took notice of a fight that sent mages flying everywhere. We hid at our alleyway and watched mages being thrown into the surrounding shops and buildings. Some of them were screaming for making an attack while some were retreating for their lives. I wonder who these people were to take on other mages head-on.

"We can't beat this demon! Let's retreat!" A bunch of guys ran pass us and we decided to take a look at this 'demon' they called. Hmm… long red scarlet hair, shining armour, and a sword; but a skirt? I blinked my eyes as I took a closer look on the face. I couldn't believe who I was seeing that defeated that bunch of guys.

"Erza!" I called out as her eyes landed on me. She lowered her sword and ran over as we met halfway.

"Lucy, what are you doing here?" She asked as she searched my body for bruises. "Well you see, I'm joining too… and I'm with these two." I laughed and called Natsu and Gray who were stiff as a board. "What's wrong?" I asked as they came out slowly.

"She's really a demon." Both if their faces were pale and cold sweat was all over their body.

"Huh?" I looked over to Erza who had a beautiful and strong face. All I could see was a Knight in a skirt.

**-To be continued-**


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